StressFree in AC
by Tanya Tsuki
Summary: Arthur has been way too stressed lately, so Alfred decides to take him for some good old fashioned fun in Atlantic City.


"Tell me again why I'm blindfolded?" Arthur growled, attempting to shoot a glare in Alfred's direction. Needless to say, it went unnoticed.

"Because where we're going is a surprise!" Alfred beamed, momentarily forgetting the fact that Arthur was blindfolded.

Somehow, Arthur still felt the intensity of the grin and snarled. "And why are you kidnapping me?"

Alfred rolled his eyes, but his smile hadn't dimmed in the slightest. "I didn't kidnap you. The meeting ended early. I asked if you wanted to get dinner. You, surprisingly, said yes."

"I only said yes so you would stop pestering me. I wasn't expecting to be blindfolded, thrown in a car, and trapped with you for hours!"

"Tch. Details, details," Alfred muttered, waving his hand in a dismissive manner, once again forgetting that Arthur couldn't see him. "Point is, you said yes to dinner. Not my fault you didn't ask where before you said yes. Anyway, it'll be worth it, trust me."

"It better not be a bloody McDonald's. You will not live if we drove all this way for a fucking McDonald's," Arthur's voice was quiet, threatening, though he seemed resigned to his fate.

Alfred chose to ignore the other's murderous aura, however. "Hey, you love Mickey D's! Besides, this is loads better," he said with a laugh as he rolled down a window to pay a toll. Alfred had plans for the evening, and he hoped that Arthur would just relax and enjoy it when they got there. The guy had been too stressed and uptight lately.

---

"We're here!" Alfred announced a short while later, pulling on the emergency break with more force than was truly necessary. "You can take your blindfold off now."

Arthur did so, raising a prominent eyebrow at the bleak, gray surroundings. "A car park, Alfred?" He didn't sound amused. "Oh, thank you so much for keeping this destination a secret. I don't know how I would have been able to hold in my excitement if not for the blindfold. Thank you, Alfred. Idiot."

Alfred rolled his eyes and opened his door. "Oh come on, Arthur, give me a chance. Did you really want to walk through a parking garage wearing a blindfold?"

Arthur sighed, pushing open his own door before Alfred decided to do something embarrassing like come around and open it for him. "Fine. You still haven't told me where we are."

"I know." Alfred jumped out of the car and began walking off, Arthur following reluctantly behind after making sure the car was locked.

It took Arthur a few moments to realize where they were once they reached the street. Then, "Atlantic City? You're not old enough to go into a casino…unless…do you have a fake I.D. again?" Arthur couldn't help that his tone came across as more parental than he would have liked.

Alfred laughed and shook his head, clapping Arthur on the shoulder once the man caught up. "As if I have enough money to go gambling. Nah, there are other things to do here. Like eat and…other stuff."

"Stuff? Surely I raised you to be more eloquent than that?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Come on!" Alfred grabbed Arthur's arm and began to drag the older man down the boardwalk, zigzagging through the crowd.

Arthur let himself be dragged along, if only because he was still not sure where they were going. There were plenty of places to eat, most advertising those vile hamburgers that Alfred so loved, but the younger man had his eye set on somewhere far down the boardwalk, and completely ignored the smaller restaurants they passed.

"How far is it?" Arthur asked a few minutes later once Alfred had slowed his pace down.

"Um, not sure exactly. It's pretty much at the end of the boardwalk though," Alfred said with a shrug, laughing slightly.

"…We have to walk that far? Couldn't you have parked closer?"

"I guess so, but this is much more fun, don't you think so, Arthur?" Alfred grinned at Arthur who merely rolled his eyes.

"You got lost."

"The hero never gets lost!"

---

A short while later, an amusement park at the edge of the boardwalk came into view, and Arthur got the vague impression that that was where they were heading, but then, Alfred suddenly veered to the left.

"Here we are!" Alfred exclaimed, gesturing towards the restaurant.

Arthur turned to look at the building, raising an eyebrow again. "The Hard Rock Café? We came to Atlantic City for the Hard Rock Café? Surely there was a closer one to our meeting place?"

Alfred laughed as he pulled the door open. "Yup. There were two closer ones. But I told you it would be worth it. Just trust me." And with that, he gestured for Arthur to enter, holding the door open.

Arthur sighed and entered, shooting a glare at the beaming Alfred.

---

Arthur would never admit it out loud, but Alfred had finally made a good decision, location aside. The restaurant, which had long been a secret favorite of Arthur's, was filled with things he had loved over the years, and he and Alfred actually managed to have a decent (even though they had to nearly shout) conversation over their hamburgers.

Though Arthur had said nothing else about Alfred's choice of restaurant, Alfred knew that he was enjoying it. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about musicians who had come and gone in the last few decades, the way he didn't scoff as Alfred finished his hamburger in record time then stole some of Arthur's fries, the way that he really seemed to be having a good time…Alfred was pleased to see the other finally relaxing. And the evening wasn't even over yet.

---

Their food gone and the bill paid, Arthur assumed that they would be heading back to the hotel their meeting was held at, and so he began heading back towards the parking garage, letting out a surprised sound when Alfred put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Where ya going, Artie?" His eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Don't call me that," Arthur growled, glaring at Alfred, his good mood vanishing abruptly. "I was going back to the car. Where else would I go?"

"The Steel Pier, of course." Alfred pointed towards the small amusement park that Arthur had noticed before.

"Why would I want to go there?"

"For fun. Come on! When was the last time we got to hang out and not have to worry about causing an international incident?"

"I would think my dying because a ride fell apart in one of _your_ amusement parks would cause an international incident."

"Ah, you worry too much Arthur!" Alfred poked the other on the shoulder, but grinned when he realized that despite Arthur's objection, they had still made their way over and into the amusement park on the edge of the boardwalk.

"Stay here while I get some tickets, k?" Alfred said, walking away from Arthur and over to the ticket booth.

Arthur took the moment to look around, groaning a bit as he realized that not one ride looked like it had been built within the last year. There was a Ferris Wheel that was suspiciously empty…no one was in line or even looking in the direction of the ride. Next to it was a huge slide, and on the other side was a roller-coaster-like ride called the Crazy Mouse. Just a ways down was a ride called the Sea Dragon which appeared to swing back and forth, and at the beginning of the park was a huge carousel. Not one of the rides looked particularly safe, and Arthur felt no desire to go on any of them, but before he could sneak off, Alfred was back with the tickets.

"What do you want to go on first, Arthur?" He was grinning again, not noticing Arthur's apprehension about going on any of the rides.

"Nothing. Let's go, Alfred."

"Nonsense! Come on, let's go on the Crazy Mouse! It's my favorite ride!" Once again, Arthur felt himself being dragged along, and the next thing he knew, he was in a mouse-shaped cart in between Alfred, a plastic divider, and two complete strangers.

"Al-Alfred, I really don't know about this," Arthur grumbled, watching as the car in front of them left. The attendant had to push the car in order to get it going, and then the whole thing seemed to be rather rickety…before it even started turning. How Arthur had managed to miss the fact that the cars twisted as they went along the track, he didn't know, but he suddenly didn't want to experience it.

"Ah, don't be a wuss. It'll be fine, Arthur. Do you need me to hold your hand?" Alfred smirked at the other, causing Arthur to glare and shake his head, pulling his hands as far away from Alfred as he could.

"I just want you to know that if we die on this bloody thing, I'm blaming you."

The car took off suddenly, this time without the help of the attendant. They rounded the first curve and began a slow ascent, Arthur nervously looking out over the water. The ride kept sounding more and more rickety and he just knew that they were going to die. He was about to comment to Alfred when the car took a sudden turn, slamming Arthur into the plastic divider as it started to spin. The car kept spinning, turning left, turning right, going up, going down, up, down, up, down, then—STOP. The car came to an abrupt halt, and Arthur slammed forward, grumbling. Though he had to grudgingly admit that the ride was fun... he was definitely going to be bruised as a result.

"So, what did you think, Arthur?"

Arthur turned to look at him, noting the wide grin and wind-swept hair. Alfred had obviously enjoyed the ride, and Arthur didn't want to admit that he had enjoyed it, nor did he want to ruin the American's delight.

"It—it was alright. But I'm going to have a bunch of bruises tomorrow because of you, git."

Alfred laughed and nodded. That was the closest he was going to get to an admission of liking the coaster. "Ready for another ride?" And, without waiting for Arthur's response, Alfred was out of the car and moving to another location, Arthur once again tagging along, though this time with less reluctance.

---

An hour and a couple of motion sickness-inducing rides later, Alfred was out of tickets and Arthur was hopeful that meant they would head back to the hotel. For a few minutes, luck appeared to be on his side as they began walking down the boardwalk, heading in the direction of the parking garage.

"So, Arthur, got any idea what you want to do yet?" Alfred asked, stopping himself mid-ramble when he realized that Arthur was not paying attention.

"No. I was under the impression we were going to leave." Alfred looked crestfallen and Arthur sighed… he hated when the other pulled that face. "But…if there is something else you wanted to do?" Alfred's grin was worth the ear splitting squeal of delight.

"Awesome! There's this great thing I wanted to show you!" Alfred exclaimed, grabbing Arthur's hand and ignoring the dark looks they were shot.

"Alfred, please, do let go of my hand," Arthur grumbled, willing his blush to fade while he tried to pull his hand back.

"Why? It's crowded. I don't want you to get lost!"

Arthur spluttered and Alfred laughed.

"I am not going to get lost! Let go of my damn hand!"

"Touchy, touchy," Alfred muttered light-heartedly, dropping Arthur's hand. He compensated, however, by moving closer to him. Arthur rolled his eyes, but let Alfred be for the time being.

---

They continued walking, Alfred occasionally pointing out a store or sight and going into details Arthur didn't care about. Arthur did notice, however, that Alfred's attention was more or less focused on a spot further down the boardwalk despite the distractions. The ocean, however, is what caught Arthur's attention. The sun was setting, and, though they faced eastward, the sky was still turning a brilliant shade of orange, bringing peaceful memories to mind, and Arthur found himself so entranced that he didn't realize he had stopped walking until Alfred stopped, too, following his gaze.

Smiling almost sadly, Alfred grabbed Arthur's arm and led them off the boardwalk and onto the beach. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Alfred asked, strangely reverent.

"Yes. Now, belt up and don't ruin it."

Alfred nodded, electing to take off his shoes and socks and enter the water a little ways away, leaving Arthur to his memories.

Some time passed, each lost in his thoughts, but eventually the sky was no longer orange and had turned a deep purple. Alfred put his shoes and socks back on before rejoining Arthur.

"Let's go, old man," Alfred said gently, nudging Arthur and forcing him out of his reverie. "There's just one more thing I want to show you before we leave."

"Fine," Arthur huffed, trying, and failing, to sound annoyed.

Alfred smiled and began heading back to the boardwalk, keeping his pace slow so that he was walking next to England. They walked in companionable silence, but Alfred seemed almost tense, constantly checking his watch.

---

"Alfred, I swear, if you check your watch one more time, I will take it and fling it off the board walk," Arthur snapped, having grown tired of Alfred's constant movement.

"Sorry Artie," Alfred said with a laugh, hopping out of the range of Arthur's incoming smack. "Ah, the Pier Shops, here we are." Grabbing Arthur's arm, Alfred led the way inside.

One step inside of the mall was all Arthur needed to realize that all of the stores were high-end, and he couldn't afford a thing.

"We are not shopping, are we?" Arthur asked, turning almost green at the thought.

Alfred shook his head, heading towards the stairs. "No, we're going to second floor. The show is starting soon and we need to get a good spot."

"Show? What show?" Arthur asked, almost jogging to keep up with Alfred.

"You'll see."

---

"Alfred wait f—oh," Arthur trailed off upon reaching the second floor. Both the floor and the ceiling were a dark shade of purple, bits of silver giving the illusion of starlight. It was a beautiful sight, but not the one Alfred apparently wanted Arthur to see.

"Come on! We're going to miss it!" Alfred shouted, having gone around the staircase and moving towards the other end of the hall.

Arthur followed, coming to a stop next to Alfred when they reached a railing overlooking an indoor fountain. The water was calm, and a few people milled about, but only Alfred seemed excited. "Water, Alfred?"

"Just wait. It starts on the hour. We have a couple of minutes left. But we have a great view!" Alfred shouted, his grin as wide as ever.

Arthur sighed and leaned against the railing. He didn't understand why Alfred was so excited by a fountain. Yes, they could give entertaining shows but really? Water is water and light is light.

Speaking of light, the lights in the area dimmed, and the fountain began to light up. The show began and, just as Arthur thought, it wasn't incredibly entertaining. In fact, after about a minute, the water stopped moving at all. He looked over at Alfred to give an appropriately sarcastic remark, but the look on his face was so excited and expectant, that Arthur decided he'd let it go. Perhaps there was more to the show.

As he suspected, the water began moving again, lights going in time to Fever by Madonna. Arthur groaned…that song was never going to leave his mind, now. He snuck another glance at Alfred, and was unable to bite back a smile. Alfred was so into the show, looking so happy, that Arthur couldn't help but feel infected by his happiness.

"Isn't this great?" Alfred asked, having turned and caught Arthur staring at him.

Flushing, Arthur turned away from Alfred, focusing on the dancing water in front of them. "Yeah, I guess."

He missed the relief that flashed across Alfred's face.

---

After the show ended a few minutes later, Alfred decided that it was time to head back to the parking garage.

"Finally," Arthur snapped, all his usual malice missing. Alfred smiled and began leading the way down the boardwalk.

The temperature was dropping quickly, however, and Arthur soon found himself shivering. Alfred looked at him in concern, and the next thing Arthur knew, there was a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Here," Alfred muttered, not looking Arthur in the eye while he gave him his trademark bomber jacket.

"Aren't you cold?" Arthur asked, debating about whether or not to keep the jacket or throw it back at Alfred. The temperature won out, however, and Arthur shrugged it on.

"I'm fine," Alfred told him, still refusing to meet the other's gaze.

Arthur rolled his eyes when he saw the other shivering and moved closer. "Idiot. If you get sick, who's going to run the meeting tomorrow?"

Alfred grinned and threw his arm around Arthur's shoulder. "Aw, you do care." He chuckled when Arthur hit him in the arm. "So, did you have fun, bruises and all?"

Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes and simply grabbed his hand, refusing to answer. Alfred, of course, took that as a yes.


End file.
